Apparatus for vacuum sealing screw cap containers



Aug. 1, 1933. 5 BRADY 1,920,240

APPARATUS FOR VACUUM SEALING SCREW CAP CONTAINERS Filed Sept. 7, 1928Hugh 61 15mg T0 VACU M Patented Aug. 1, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT.OFFICE APPARATUS FOR VACUUM SEALING SCREW CAP CONTAINERS.

Application September 7, 1928 Serial No. 304,546

4 Claims.

The invention relates to the vacuum sealing of containers, and theobject of the invention is to provide an apparatus for sealing screw capcontainers, and especially those in which conventional screw caps areemployed.

Heretofore vacuum sealing with screw closures has been unknowncommercially; and the requisites of commercial success are, that thecaps be inexpensive in manufacture, and that the operation of sealing berapid and eificient. Accordingly, the present invention involves the useof the ordinary, inexpensive, conventional screw caps, and apparatus bywhich the caps may be secured on the container, with the same facilityand rapidity as the several types of non-screw vacuum caps in commonuse.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular apparatus disclosed herein, for the invention can be carriedout by widely different mechanisms. The preferred mechanism is describedherein; for an understanding of which reference is to be had to theaccompanying drawing; in which The figure is a vertical sectional view,parts being shown in elevation, of the preferred apparatus forvacuumizing the receptacles and securing the screw caps in sealingposition.

Referring to the drawing in more detail, numeral 18 refers to a sealingcloset, provided with a door 19. A pipe line 20 opens into the sealingcloset, and communicates with a source of vacuum (not shown) and atwo-way valve 21 is employed, for opening communication between thesealing closet and source of vacuum, and for shutting 01f suchcommunication and opening communication between the sealing closet andthe atmosphere.

In this apparatus the capping head is automatically rotated in oppositedirections, and is automatically raised and lowered. I shall firstdescribe the means by which it is automatically rotated in oppositedirections.

Numeral 22 indicates a cylinder which has one end communicating with thesealing closet, by means of pipe 23; and mounted in this cylinder is apiston 24. The piston rod of this piston 24. is pivotally connected witha lever 25, fulcrumed at 26, and carrying a counterweight 27. Theposition of the counterweight depends upon the degree 'of vacuum desiredin the sealing closet. When this desired degree of vacuum has beenreached the counterweight is overcome, and the piston 24 movesdownwardly, thereby lowering the end of the lever 25 to which it isattached, and elevating the opposite end of the lever. Attached to thisportion of the lever beyond the fulcrum 26, is a valve stem 28, whichoperates a valve 29; the valve communicating with opposite ends of acylinder 30, by means of pipes 31 and 32-. The valve also communicateswith the atmosphere and a source of vacuum, as indicated by numerals 33and 34 respectively. In one position of the valve, one end of thecylinder 30 communicates with a source of vacuum, while the other end ofthe cylinder communicates with the atmosphere, whereby the piston rod35, of the cylinder 30, is moved in one direction; and in the otherposition of the valve the conditions in the cylinder 30 are reversed,and the piston rod is moved in the opposite direction.

The valve stem 28 having been elevated by the downward movement of thepiston 24, the valve 29 is operated to open communication between theleft hand end of cylinder 30 and a source of vacuum, and to open theopposite end of the cylinder to atmosphere; whereby the piston rod 35 7of cylinder 30 is moved to the left.

The piston rod 35 carries a rack 36 meshing with a spur pinion 37 whichrests on a bracket 38, and which is slidably keyed on a spindle 39. Whenthe rack 36 moves to the left, as described 30 above, the pinion 37 andspindle 39 will be rotated in one direction, and when the rack is movedto the right the pinion and spindle will be rotated in the oppositedirection. This movement of the rack to the right is effected after 5the container has been sealed and the vacuum in the sealing closet hasbeen broken. When the vacuum is broken in the sealing closet, thecounterweight 27 will cause the piston 24 to rise and the right handportion of the lever 25 to descend, thereby moving the valve 29 downwardand opening communication between the right hand end of the cylinder 30and the source of vacuum, and opening the left hand end of the ,cylinderto the atmosphere, whereby the piston rod 35 and the rack 36 are movedto the right.

The mechanism by which the spindle 39 is automatically rotated inopposite directions has been described above, and I shall now describethe mechanism by which the spindle is automatically raised and lowered.

Numeral 40 refers to a sleevewhich is threaded through the top of thesealing closet and which projects downwardly into the interior of thecloset. The spindle 39 projects downwardly through the sleeve, and hasfixed to its lower end the capping head 41; the lower face of thecapping head bein'g preferably provided with a sheet of appropriatematerial 42, such as fibrous ma- 'terial, for engaging the caps to screwthem into iii sealing position. The lower portion of the spindie 39 isprovided with screw threads 43, which engage corresponding threads onthe interior oi? the sleeve 40. By reason of this threaded engagementbetween the spindle and sleeve, it is apparent that as the spindle isrotated in one direction, it will be lowered to bring the rotatingcapping head into engagement with the screw cap on the container to besealed; and that when the spindle is rotated in the opposite direction,the capping head will be lifted from engagement with the cap, and duringthis upward movement the capping head will be rotating in the oppositedirection.

As previously stated: the sleeve 40 is threaded through the top of thesealing closet. The rotation of the sleeve will therefore cause it to beraised or lowered, as desired, to adjust the mechanism to the properpreliminary position, for were of different height. The sleeve will besecured in its adjusted position by means of the lock nut ii.

In operation, a glass jar 45 or other container to be sealed,- is placedin the vacuum closet, with a conventional screw cap 46 loosely mountedthereon and preferably loosely engaging the threads on the neck of thecontainer. The door 19 is closed and the two-way valve 21 is operated toopen communication between the sealing closst and source of vacuum. Thisvalve maybe operated automatically by the closing of the door, or may beotherwise automatically operated. However, the particular means foroperating the valve forms no part of the present invention, and it istherefore deemed sufficient to illustrate the hand operated valve.

l/Vhen the desired degree of vacuum in the closet is reached, thecounterweight 27 is over-' come and the piston 24 moves downwardly,thereby lifting the valve stem 28 of the valve 29. The valve is thusmoved toposition to connect the innerend of the cylinder 30 with asource of vacuum, and to connect the opposite end of the cylinder'withthe atmosphere. The piston rod 35, of the cylinder 30, will thus bemoved to the left (Fig. 2), whereby the rack 36 will rotate the pinion37 and the spindle 39 to which it is slidably' keyed. By this rotationthe spindle 39 is caused to descend, by reason of its threadedengagement with the interior of the sleeve 40; and the capping head isthus lowered to bring the fibrous material 42 into engagement with thescrew cap 46. The further rotation of the capping head in this samedirection, causes the cap to be screwed wardly at the same time. Thedownward move-' ment of the valve stem 28 will move the valve toposition to open communication between the right hand end of cylinder 30and the source of vacuum, and at the same time break the vacuum in theopposite end of the cylinder. The piston rod 35 and rack 36 will thus bemoved outwardly, and thereby rotate the pinion 37 in the oppositedirection. The capping head will thus be rotated in the oppositedirection, and this rotation will cause it to be lifted from engagementwith the screw cap 46, whereby the sealed container may be removed fromthe sealing closet; the door having been opened when the vacuum in thesealing closet was broken, or immediately thereafter. Means may beprovided, if desired, to prevent the rotation of the container while thecap is being screwed into sealing position.

\ Obviously, the invention can be carried out by various mechanisms,other than the mechanism described herein; and consequently theinvention is not to be understood as limited in any sense to theparticular mechanism disclosed.

Having fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Pat ent is:

1. An apparatus for vacuumizing screw cap containers, including asealing closet, a capping head for engaging the screw caps on thecontainers,'means for automatically rotating said head, and meansoperated by the desired vacuum in the sealing closet to control theautomatic operation.

2. An apparatus for vacuumizing screw cap containers, including asealingcloset, a capping head for engaging the screw caps on the containers,means for automatically rotating said head, means operated by thedesired vacuum in the sealing closet to control the automatic operation,and means for raising and lowering said head.

3. An apparatus for vacuumizing screw cap containers, including asealing closet, a capping head for engaging the screw caps on'thecontainers, means rendered operative by the desired degree of vacuum inthe sealing closet to lower and rotate said capping head, and said meansrendered operative by the breaking of the vacuum in the sealing closetto lift said capping head.

4. An apparatus for vacuumizing screw cap containers, including asealing closet, a capping head for engaging the screw caps on thecontainers, automatic means controlled by pressure conditions in thesealing closet for rotating and raising and lowering said capping head.

HUGH s. BRADY.

